Seele hurriedly said: "...Then let's forget it. Last time you suddenly came out to take my place, Evan was so scared he cried."
Mentioning this made Dark Seele a little angry even now: "Who told that little brat to secretly badmouth you? Don't think I can't hear just because you lowered your voice."
"Hm? What did you say?"
Seele hadn't actually heard her words.
Dark Seele said: "Nothing. I hate dealing with kids. The rest is up to you now."
And so, next, Seele went to take care of the children, then did her daily training...
This had become her routine life after arriving at the Salt Lake Base. Though it was plain and repetitive, it also made her feel incredibly happy.
After finishing training with Bronya, they came together to the cafeteria for a meal.
Because their training had run so late, the cafeteria was about to close, and there weren't many people eating inside.
Seele spotted Kiana sitting in the corner at a glance.
Bronya was also a little surprised.
The two walked over together: "Excuse me, may I sit here?"
Kiana looked up in surprise: "Ah, it's you two. There's no one here—go ahead."
Bronya looked at the tray in front of her and asked: "Kiana, are you only eating this little today?"
Kiana gave a small smile: "Haha, I just don't have much appetite today. I'm usually not like this. It's fine. Did you two just finish training?"
Bronya nodded: "Yes. Bronya was teaching Seele some combat techniques."
Seele also said: "This is actually my first time eating with Miss Kiana. We've known each other for so long, but we haven't really talked much."
Kiana said gently: "Just call me Kiana. And I'll call you Seele directly—is that okay?"
"Of course!" Seele was very happy: "Everyone calls me that. Hehe, when we call each other by name directly, it instantly feels much closer."
Seele asked curiously: "Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever run into Kiana in the cafeteria before. Is it because our meal times are different?"
"Ah..."
Kiana slightly lowered her head and looked away: "Yeah, I usually come around this time."
Seele thought to herself: So that's how it is... She's deliberately avoiding peak hours? Is training too hard on her...
Of course, she was too shy to ask that out loud.
Bronya then asked: "Kiana, how is the situation on the squad leader's side?"
Kiana said: "Still no trace of the Herrscher of Sentience. She said she'll keep tracking her down."
Bronya sighed: "Since that incident, the Herrscher of Sentience has been completely silent. No similar disasters like the one on Taixu Mountain have occurred again. Schicksal also says they have no leads on her."
"Schicksal?" Kiana instantly became alert: "Can we trust anything Otto says?"
Bronya explained: "After the Herrscher of Sentience appeared, Otto went missing. It's said that Durandal is currently acting as the temporary commander of the Valkyrie forces."
"Facing this situation, Anti-Entropy and Schicksal have reached an unspoken agreement. Both sides have temporarily ceased hostilities and are conducting minimal intelligence exchange."
"Right now, all we can do is promptly handle the recent frequent Honkai incidents."
"Principal Theresa is serving as Rosalia and Liliya's mentor and takes them along on missions to train their real combat abilities."
"That pair of twins is very enthusiastic but extremely hard to manage. The principal has a massive headache because of them."
Hearing this made Kiana smile faintly: "Haha, it feels like I'm seeing our past selves. Auntie is always like that—says she's bad with kids, but she's actually super professional."
Seele watched the two chatting, opened her mouth, and realized she couldn't get a word in at all.
Dark Seele said inside her mind: "Of course not. You and them are completely from different worlds."
Seele replied to her: "But they're both so kind to me. It's just that I don't understand what they're talking about, so I can't join the conversation."
"As long as I work hard to understand them more, I'm sure I can become good friends with even more people!"
"Right, Kiana." Bronya suddenly remembered: "Aren't you going to Salt Lake City tomorrow?"
Kiana nodded: "Yeah. We recently received several reports of mechs going out of control for no reason. We're short on manpower, so the doctor asked me to go check it out."
Bronya said: "Perfect timing. Seele is also going to Salt Lake City tomorrow. You two can ride together."
"...Eh?" Seele, who had been chatting with Dark Seele, only just reacted.
Kiana smiled and said: "Sure. Then I'll head back and prepare. See you tomorrow, Seele."
"Ah, see you tomorrow."
Seele waved at Kiana as she left.
After she was gone,
Seele asked: "So this is the thing you mentioned during training that you wanted to ask me to help with?"
Bronya said: "Seele really is very perceptive. Sorry—I made the decision without asking you first."
Seele quickly said: "It's nothing! I'm really happy to be able to go out with Kiana."
"Yeah, that's exactly why Bronya wanted to ask Seele to accompany Kiana and help her relax a little."
Seele was puzzled by Bronya's words: "Me? Maybe because you've spent more time with Kiana and understand her better?"
Bronya said somewhat sadly: "Some things are too hard to say precisely because we understand each other too well."
"Eh?"
Under Seele's confusion,
Bronya patiently explained: "At first, Kiana used to come eat with us. But at the same time, a lot of Anti-Entropy staff members also came to the cafeteria. When they saw Kiana...they showed hesitation."
"The tables near Kiana were always empty. Even when Dr. Einstein deliberately sat next to her, it was the same."
Seele didn't understand: "But...Kiana can clearly control herself, and she works so hard to protect everyone..."
Bronya said: "We all know that. But for ordinary people, fear and worry aren't emotions that can be easily overcome—this situation was bound to happen sooner or later."
"So Kiana didn't choose to explain herself. She chose to step back and avoid the crowds."
"She doesn't care about other people's gazes, of course. She just doesn't want to add any extra variables to the current situation."
At this moment,
The viewers were all deeply moved.
"Ugh...poor little tuna, she really has it so hard."
"Why does Anti-Entropy have to be afraid of the tuna? She's clearly so good. Isn't Welt a Herrscher too?"
"You're probably selectively forgetting. Don't you remember how much damage Sirin caused to Anti-Entropy before? She nearly bankrupted them."
"Exactly. And the Herrscher of the Void caused the biggest Honkai disaster of this era. Anti-Entropy was one of the parties in that war—how could ordinary people not be afraid?"
"Then the tuna really has it tough. She can only hide from everyone and be all alone."
"If this is the 'depression plot' the actress mentioned, I feel like it's just average. After surviving countless knives, I don't think this part is even knife-y."
"Right, it's just a little sad. What's so hard about it? Everyone can understand, okay?"
"Then keep watching. Maybe they're not talking about this part?"
Everyone continued reading on.
Seele also understood: "No wonder Sister Bronya interrupted me earlier—she didn't want Kiana to talk about this topic."
Bronya continued: "Kiana really has changed. She's become more mature, calmer, and doesn't bottle everything up inside anymore. But for her, the world has become even more..."
"She understands all of our thoughts. What she needs now is kindness from other people."
Seele said admiringly: "You've thought about so much. As expected, Sister Bronya is the reliable adult. I'm still far from that..."
Bronya looked at Seele and comforted her: "Seele has Seele's strengths. Seele is very attentive and empathetic—you always notice things others miss. That's why Bronya judged that entrusting Kiana to Seele is the most suitable choice."
"Seele should recognize her own strengths more and be more confident. After all, back then, Bronya's world was also changed by Seele."
Seele nodded firmly: "Mm! I understand! Leave it to me!"
Time jumped to the next morning.
Seele had arrived early and was waiting for Kiana.
After waiting a while and realizing the appointed time hadn't come yet, she decided to go chat with Dark Seele first.
It took her a long time to find where Dark Seele was in her consciousness: "So you've been hiding here. You haven't come out much since last night. Is something bothering you?"
"None of your business." Dark Seele answered coldly.
Seele noticed her mood: "Hm? You seem to be in a bad mood... If something's up, you can tell me."
Dark Seele still replied coldly: "Nothing. It's nothing."
She looked exactly like a jealous little woman.
Seele continued: "Sister Bronya said that some things are hard to say precisely because we're too familiar. At that time I was thinking, maybe it's the same between us."
"We understand each other so well that we can't be completely honest. The things that are troubling you...you're not willing to tell me either..."
Dark Seele said impatiently: "I already said it's nothing! Look—your new friend is here. Stop spacing out and go accompany her!"
Seele said: "Whenever you're ready to tell me, I'm always here~"
Watching Seele leave,
Dark Seele let out a quiet sigh...
Kiana, just as Dark Seele had said, arrived: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Seele. What's wrong? Were you spacing out just now?"
Seele said: "Mm, nothing. I just got a little distracted."
"Okay, then let's get going."
The two took a car together to Salt Lake City.
This was the largest and busiest city near the Salt Lake Base.
It was Seele's first time here, and she was amazed: "Wow! So many people, and everything is all lit up and decorated."
Kiana explained to her: "I heard from Dr. Tesla that there's going to be a huge celebration for Independence Day next month. All kinds of big events everywhere. When you have time, you should drag Bronya along to have fun."
Seele paid close attention to Kiana.
She could see that Kiana's expression was much more relaxed than it had been back at the base.
It really was as Bronya said—she should take her out more often to relax.
Kiana checked the time and said: "Let's not talk about that for now. We should handle the real business. I still have a bit of time before meeting the other party. Let me accompany you to do some shopping first."
Seele nodded: "Mm, let's go together!"
The two went shopping for flowers, cake, and balloons for lining up...
While shopping, they chatted, gradually deepening their understanding of each other.
After finishing shopping, they strolled around the festival together, and Kiana's mood visibly improved.
When the appointed time arrived,
Kiana went to meet the contact. Strangely, though, ever since the report was submitted, the mechs had never malfunctioned again. She even wondered if she had misread the situation.
Still, for safety's sake, Kiana contacted the maintenance team and asked them to come do a full inspection tomorrow.
"With that, the mission ended early. The car to pick us up won't come until later. Should we wait at the rendezvous point?"
Seele thought for a moment: "Mm...since we have this rare free time, how about we sit at that coffee shop over there? When we passed by earlier, I saw their parfait—it looked really delicious."
"Parfait, huh..." Kiana nodded in agreement: "Yeah, it's been a while since I had one. Let's go sit down."
The two entered the coffee shop.
Seele ordered two parfaits.
She tasted hers: "So good! Kiana, you try it too! Do you like this flavor?"
Kiana scooped a spoonful into her mouth: "Mm...delicious! The combination of this cream and cookie texture is just perfect."
Seele agreed wholeheartedly: "As expected, dessert during break time is the most healing. Want to order another one, Kiana? I recommend the mango mille-feuille over there—it smells so sweet!"
Kiana also smiled: "Haha, sure, let's get another one."
"..."
She looked at Seele sitting across from her, hesitated for a moment, then said: "Thank you, Seele, for taking such good care of me. Bronya asked you to do this, didn't she?"
Seele was startled: "Eh!...W-was it that obvious..."
Kiana nodded: "Yeah, it's very much her style. I understand she didn't want to put pressure on me, so she went through such a big detour. Sorry about that..."
Seele said: "Sister Bronya is really worried about you."
Kiana said: "She's always been like that. Even though she herself has to undergo Anti-Entropy Alliance Leader training—which is much harder than mine. Hmm, let's buy her a gift before we head back."
"Yeah, let me think...maybe go find someone wearing a Houm outfit and take a few photos..."
The moment this was mentioned,
Both of them couldn't help but laugh. They both knew Bronya would definitely love something like that.
Seele looked at Kiana: "Kiana...if you're willing, you can tell me about any worries you have."
Kiana immediately understood what she meant: "You're worried about what happened yesterday, right?"
"It's fine. After all, I really am the Herrscher of the Void. The monster named Sirin living inside me is also a fact."
"Everyone believes in me because they understand me, but I can't force every single person to think that way."
"Sirin...?" This was the first time Seele had heard the name.
Kiana nodded: "Yeah. She's another will inside me—the true Herrscher of the Void. Even at this very moment, her will is constantly battering against me, trying to seize control of the core. In fact, she's the original owner of this core. I'm the newcomer."
"But I can't hand the core over to her. She's dangerous, violent, and single-mindedly wants to destroy humanity. She has already caused countless terrifying disasters before."
"I absolutely cannot let that happen again."
"And now there's another safety measure."
She pulled down her sleeve. The bracelet on her wrist was ticking away with numbers.
"This bracelet monitors my physical condition in real time. If it exceeds the stable threshold, it will send out a warning and report to the base."
"Once the alert is received, Anti-Entropy will take immediate action. I'll also try to teleport to a place with no people—if I'm still conscious, that is."
"Don't worry. I chose to wear this bracelet voluntarily. Having it makes me feel much more at ease."
Seele looked at Kiana calmly explaining all this and said from the heart: "Kiana...you really are amazing."
Kiana shook her head slightly: "This is the responsibility I should bear. I won't run away from it. And Mei...another friend of mine and Bronya's, has gone through something similar. Though the device she wore back then was far more extreme,...I want to understand how she felt."
"Ah, I ended up talking a lot without realizing it. But I really do feel a lot lighter now."
"Thanks, Seele. Because of you, I feel much better."
Seele quickly said: "How could that be! You've been carrying this unimaginable pain all by yourself for so long, working so hard..."
Kiana scratched her head and spoke honestly: "I used to be really scared—scared of Sirin, scared of myself. I chose to hide alone. But not anymore. Because I know you all are here. Since everyone is helping me, how could I keep running away?"
Seele nodded firmly: "Mm! We all believe in Kiana!"
Suddenly, some commotion came from outside...
"Hey! Everyone hide quickly! All the mechs in the plaza have gone berserk and are charging this way!"
The two were shocked.
They immediately stood up: "How could that be! Everything was normal when we went there earlier!"
Kiana ran outside first: "There's no time to figure out why now. Seele, let's go stop those mechs and cover the civilians' evacuation!"